BAY CITY, Mich. – Hillsdale volleyball setter Marissa Owen and Michigan Tech defensive back Brett Gervais have been named the recipients of the 2015-16 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Pat Riepma Postgraduate Scholarship. The honor, which awards each recipient, one male and one female, $5,000 in aid to the graduate school of their choice, was voted on by the Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) of the GLIAC member institutions.
Hillsdale's Marissa Owen achieved a high level of excellence on the volleyball court and in the classroom throughout her four-year career.
On the court, Owen was a two-year captain of the Charger volleyball team, leading Hillsdale to two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. She finished sixth on the school’s career assists list with 2,215. Two of her four seasons were spent playing in a 6-2 offense. In 2015, she was named honorable mention All-GLIAC.
In the classroom, Owen was named to the Dean’s List in each of her eight semesters on campus, and never carried an overall grade point average of below 3.8 at one of the most rigorous academic institutions in all of Division II. She earned a spot on the GLIAC Academic Excellence Team three times and was accepted into Michigan State University’s veterinary school. She will enroll at MSU in the Fall of 2016.
Michigan Tech's Brett Gervais wrapped up a stellar career at Michigan Tech by starting all 10 games and helping the Huskies to a 7-3 record in 2015. Gervais racked up 61 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles en route to All-GLIAC First Team honors and a spot on the All-Super Region 4 Team.
A native of Hancock, Michigan, Gervais has excelled off the field as well. He earned a fall GLIAC Commissioner's Award, CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition and the Merritt T. McFarland Award as Michigan's top Division II scholar-athlete in 2015 alone. Gervais was also awarded a pair of GLIAC Academic Excellence Awards (2013, 2014) and maintains a 3.79 GPA in exercise science.
Beginning in 2016, the GLIAC Postgraduate Scholarship is being named after former Northwood University Athletic Director and head football coach Pat Riepma who passed away last July after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Pat spent over 21 years at Northwood and was the all-time winningest coach in football history as well as the long time Athletic Director. While his achievements on the field and on behalf of the athletic department are impressive, Pat will be forever remembered for the person he was. Pat was a passionate, spiritual man who inspired thousands of people even before he became sick. While Pat is gone, his mantra of “Go MAD”- Go Make a Difference, will live on.
Click here for previous GLIAC Postgraduate Awards recipients
